Is Rumen Radev starting his own party?
Executive summary
Rumen Radev has resigned the presidency, a move that almost all major outlets say was intended to clear the path for a return to frontline politics and has "fueled" widespread expectation that he will launch a new party to contest snap parliamentary elections [1] [2]. Reporting converges on one clear fact and one clear uncertainty: he has stepped down and is widely expected to form a party — but he has not formally announced the creation of a political party at the time of these reports [3] [4].
1. Why his resignation looks like the opening act of a party launch
Multiple international outlets present the resignation as a deliberate maneuver that makes a parliamentary bid plausible: Reuters frames the resignation as fuelling speculation that Radev will run with his own party in upcoming elections [1], while Euronews and PBS explicitly link the resignation to a "new political project" or public expectation of a party launch [2] [5]. Analysts and pollsters quoted in the coverage treat a new Radev-led formation as the next logical step given Bulgaria’s eighth election since 2021 and the widespread anti‑corruption protests that toppled the outgoing government [1] [5].
2. What the reporting actually says he has done — and not done
Every source reviewed agrees on the observable act: he announced he would resign and said he may take part in forthcoming elections [1] [5]. Crucially, Radev himself did not, in those reports, formally declare a party name, register a movement, or present an explicit manifesto — a point national news agency BTA notes when it observes he "did not expressly mention the establishment of a party of his own" in his televised address [4]. Major outlets therefore report expectation and intention expressed by others, not a hard announcement by Radev of a new party [3] [6].
3. Polling, strategy and the coalition calculus
Reporting cites polls that suggest appetite for a new force and market analysts who estimate Radev could attract a significant but not majority share of the vote — figures ranging roughly from 20% to 35% — meaning any new party would likely need coalition partners to govern [1]. Reuters and other outlets discuss possible tactical marriage partners such as the reformist PP‑DB; coverage implies Radev’s best path would be a coalition that bridges reformist energy with his personal popularity [1] [3].
4. Fault lines that could complicate a Radev party
Coverage does not paint a straight path: Radev’s positions — euro scepticism, skepticism about military aid to Ukraine, and perceived Kremlin-friendly stances — are widely noted as potential obstacles to coalition-building and to appealing to all segments of a pro‑EU electorate [1] [6] [7]. Some outlets explicitly warn these foreign‑policy positions could complicate alliances with pro‑European reformists, even as anti‑corruption messaging and high personal popularity make him an attractive national figure [1] [7].
5. Bottom line: expectation vs. confirmation
As of the reporting compiled here, the correct, source‑backed answer is: no definitive public launch has been reported; yes, Radev’s resignation is widely interpreted as the prelude to a Radev‑led party and he is widely expected to stand in parliamentary elections, but his camp had not publicly registered or announced a formal party by these sources’ cutoffs [3] [4] [1]. That distinction matters for accuracy: coverage points to a high probability and strong signaling from Radev’s actions and words, but it stops short of documenting a formal party formation in the sources provided [4] [5].